News 21 September 2009

A new facility in the Observatory is a Research area which has been set up for the purpose of including all kinds of research, eg both published and non-published research, both large and small studies. This feature includes research in other languages than English, as long as we have been provided with keywords in English to enable a search on this research. Another element in this area is the inclusion of summaries, provided in English, of reports contained in the Danish Community Pharmacy Evidence Database which holds evidence within several areas of pharmacy practice.

The Observatory was presented at the FIP Congress in Istanbul in September 2009 and was well received. The EuroPharm Forum has also approached some of its observer organisations to introduce them to the various elements of the Observatory, and there is a great amount of interest among these observers to use and contribute to the input in the Observatory.

The Observatory has, so far, had 600 unique visits, primarily from Europe, but also from other regions, and the number of registered users is increasing.

Access to the Observatory is open for everybody on the Internet, but users may still request a password in order to sign in and participate actively to the Observatory. A password is granted to everybody who asks and who has an interest in pharmacy practice. With a password, users will be able to take part in the posted discussions and to add their comments. It is also possible to start a discussion or contribute with relevant documents and information.

Provided with a password, users will also receive alerts whenever something changes in the Observatory.